http://www.english.rfi.fr/sports/20140728-african-cycling-rise
France - Africa -
Article published the Monday 28 July 2014 - Latest update : Monday 28 July
2014
African cycling on the rise
Members of Team Africa Rising in Rwanda
Credit / Jock Boyer
By RFI
No black African cyclist has ever taken part in the Tour de France. The
most prestigous cycling event in the world ended in Paris on Sunday, and
Team Africa Rising hopes to bring an African team to the Tour in the near
future.
Team Africa Rising wants to be the first hundred percent African team to
race the European circuit and eventually take part in the Tour de France.
Speaking to RFI, Jock Boyer, the founder of Team Africa Rising says Africa
has more than enough talented riders to achieve this.
58-Year-old Boyer made Tour de France history himself when he was the first
American to participate in the legendary annual bicycle race in 1981.
Team Africa Rising has formed a partnership with Rwanda, Ethiopia and
Eritrea.
Boyer says that he can field a team from these three countries "pretty
quickly."
But "it will take a couple of years to get the cyclists to the right level
for international competition."
Boyer rates Eritrea as the strongest cycling nation in Africa.
"It's a national sport for them," he says. "They have sixty years of
cycling history."
He describes Ethiopia as having a big talent base and being motivated to
improve their cycling.
Despite the political differences that exist between these and many African
countries, Boyer says that sport transcends these tensions.
Boyer has spent seven years building and coaching the national Rwandan
cycling team before starting this African cycling project.
tags: France - Tour de France - Cycling
Received on Mon Jul 28 2014 - 14:22:24 EDT